The Zplkmni That Got Away
by SelDear
Summary: It will dtlnddi svdrnna your kglffi!


**SPOILERS:** Um, well, 'Grace', I suppose. Kind of. Sort of. Maybe. ::falls over laughing::  
**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** "If you drink this coffee then your brain will go crazy..." I blame the lack of sleep. And the coffee. And Nic, 'just because.' And the fact that I have no work. I think I managed to keep all the terms straight - after the umpteenth typing of the word '_nktidda_' you're not sure whether your _kglffi_ is _dtlnddi_ _svdrnna_. Seriously.

**The Z_plknmni_ That Got Away**

The call came through on the _grrletikki_ – a tiny voice from the tiny ship that had eluded us out in space, only to be trapped wtihin the _ioaffn_ cloud. The _Mntrevvi_ glared my way.

"Did I not order that all crew of the _nktidda_ be rounded up and put in the _sblippk_?"

I bobbed my twenty-second antennae, in abject apology to my superior. "You did, honoured _Trvvikki_."

"Then why do we receive communication from the _nktidda _still?"

"We collected the domes-of-escape, honoured _Revvikki_," I answered humbly. "However this cloud of _ioaffn_ inhibits our scans. We were unable to determine if life remained on the _nktidda_."

The tiny noises continued through the _grrletikki_, painfully flat, with no harmonies or chordalities to soften the tones to the _swnbbe_. My _grrletikki_-officer leaned over to close off the painful sounds. I cut him off with a gesture of my _vxiggo_ – painful it might be, but ignoring it might bring worse consequences than mere aching _swnbbe_.

"Bring the leader of the _nktidda_ here," intoned the _Mntrevvi_. "And the _qrllitkl_ also. I cannot understand this_ zplknmni_ and it is far too early in the cycle for me to make the effort to learn their language."

The leader was brought – a carbon-based biped with a stance that looked like a two-antennaed _lsewwi_ trying to defy a senior split. He gaped at us, looking like an aquandrian _frrgl_ trying to catch an insectoid. Then his attention was taken by the noises coming from the _grrletikki_ and his optics grew wide.

His words, flat-toned and without beauty, were translated by the rather nervous twelve-antennaed _qrllitkl_. It appeared a single _nktidda_ crewmember had been left behind, and, in the interim hours, believed she had found a way out of the cloud. This crewmember offered us safe passage out of here if we would return her crew.

I could tell the _Mntrevvi_ was impressed. Our own _xdagge_ had been working on the problems of the drives systems for the last several cycles, to no avail. In the last two cycles, the leader of the x_dagge_ had begun to sound less like a thirty-four antennae being and more like a whining _lsewwi_.

"Do you think these _zplknmni_ have honour?" The _Mntrevvi_ asked me.

"Honoured _Trvvikki_, I do not know," I replied, waving several of my antenna in acknowledgement of my ignorance.

"Your _rtfkki_ does you credit," said the _Mntrevvi_ gesturing impatiently with his forty-seventh antenna, "But answer me."

My antenna drooped in sigh, "As the _Mntrevvi_ wishes." I considered. "The _nktidda_ crewmember did not need to hail us. No bargain need have been offered. And our _xdagge_ have learned nothing of how to brings us from this _ioaffn_ cloud.

"Yet a bargain has been offered."

I could see the _Mntrevvi_ was torn by the prospect of losing such valuable _zplknmni_ . It has been many thousands of cycles since we came across _zplknmni_ so advanced. But at last his antenna drooped.

"I promised my _lsewwi_ I should be home to celebrate the fourth antennae," he said, regretfully. "Very well. We shall exchange the _zplknmni_ for our freedom. Send them back to their _nktidda_."

And so we sent them back.

The _zplknmni_ on the _nktidda_ was as good as her words – however untonal they might be. She guided us out of the _ioaffn_ cloud and the _xdagge_ went into esctacies of song and joyous antenna-writhes when the drives worked once more.

We could have, once again, taken the _zplknmni_; however the _Mntrevvi_ is an honourable split and kept his word.

Obviously, there was no way to give gratitude to the _zplknmni_ who helped us escape, but we were grateful nevertheless. One of the minor splits suggested a song in honour of the _zplknmni_ _xdagge_ - and while the waving of the antenna at such an idea was quite against it, there will doubtless be quiet songs about this adventure.

At the least, it will make another song to sing when we return to our _kvcca_ and _lsewwi_ - the song of the _zplknmni_ that got away.

- **fin** -


End file.
